Daily life continues

Ciao everyone, happy Tuesday to you all.

I just want to say something before I talk much more about my times here in Rome and all the amazing things I'm seeing and enjoying, and yes, it's going to be political, although it's something to me that should never, ever be politicized in the first place.

I have been so ecstatic about the election of President-elect Obama for the past week now, and it's been something that's brought such happiness to me and smiles to my face since the election. There was, however, something so disappointing from my perspective from my schooling state, California. Prop 8's passing, or rescinding the right of marriage from gay and lesbian couples, has been something that has really irked me, and I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to just stay happy in the realm of Obama, but I just can't. It's a grave, sad, and despicable injustice to take the rights away from anyone on a number of issues, but this to me is something that we'll be ashamed of a few years down the road as a country. I'm ashamed right now.

I won't spend too long on this, but instead of reading my blog today, if you only have 5 minutes of time, then spend it watching this video from Keith Olbermann. It's about 6 minutes long, and I could not agree more with the sentiment.

We're all people, and we deserve a chance at love all, do we not?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27650743/

So please, please, just watch it and let me know what you think. I'm not going to think any less of anyone who disagrees with me or doesn't approve of gay marriage, trust me, it's something everyone has their own opinion on and I will never try to take that away from you, but seriously: shouldn't everyone have an equal chance at love?

I'm sorry if you don't want to read about that. I know it's a heated issue, I know it's a hard subject, but life is full of hard subjects, and denying their existence doesn't mean it's not happening. It is. And you don't have to campaign for it (I'm not right now), but you can ask yourself: what do I really think and how do I really feel, and why do I feel this way? Is this fair? Is this right? What if this were me, or if not me, my child? My parent? My best friend?

I'll move on now, and I thank you greatly for bearing with me. I love you all, and I never want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I don't want to grandstand with my platform and turn it into a soapbox, but this is my site, so I'll say what I want.

On to issues of much greater happiness!

Yesterday, I had my site visit to Sancta Sopra Minerva and the libraries next door. Galileo Galilei, or the first real, vocal advocate of the Heliocentric model of the universe, was tried and convicted by the Catholic Church there for heresy, teaching that the world was not the center of the universe and that it rotated around the sun. This was considered to be contrary to sacred scripture, and he was condemned to life imprisonment for his beliefs and teachings. It's hard to imagine a world where your studies and beliefs could get you thrown in jail, but it still happens in some corners of the world. Galileo was a genius, unquestionably, and his conviction marks quite the low point in Catholic history.

Anyway, the library was huge, and we didn't even go to the wing where I went before and posted about before my break. It had hundreds of thousands of volumes, many of which were over 400 years old. Whoa old!

We had a nice guide named Gloria who showed us around, and our professor, Father Larrey, helped us along as well, throwing in some facts and such along the way. We also went into the last home of Saint Catherine of Siena, which is near the cloister in the Sopra Minerva. It was cool to think about the history of some of those rooms, and we were in the actual cell Galileo was kept in during his trial, which is pretty cool to think about. Such history, such is life here in Roma, I suppose.

On my walk back yesterday, I was chatting with some people, and we were joking about how we have 4 weeks and 3 days left in the program. That's 31 days, people. Man. Today is the 6 week mark left for me, and I've been here for 12, which is crazy to imagine. My time is over 2/3rds of the way up for Europe, and over 75% done in Roma. Ahh!

This made me simultaneously very sad and kind of homesick. It's hard to imagine being home so soon to an extent, and I'm a little homesick as of late, which I think is just due to the fact that I've traveled so much and am so sick of dealing with money that I just want to be done with it for a minute and relax. I know the adult world doesn't have those breaks, yeah yeah, but I'm just excited to relax at home with everyone a bit.

I am, however, really weirded out by leaving Roma for good. Not to just fly somewhere and be done and come back, but really leave. As in not come back for a long time. As excited as I am to think about coming home, I am leaving my current home.

And that's tough.

I was trying to imagine what I'll do on my last days here in Roma, and I think it involves a final run through the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine hill; the tour of Trevi / Pantheon / Piazza di Spagna; and finally St. Peter's one last time. I think that will be Wednesday the 10th and Thursday the 11th, and the 12th may be the hardest yet, saying goodbye to all these people I've met and have enjoyed so many great experiences with.

Can't focus on that too much though, I've got too much life to live between now and then.

I hope you all have an excellent Tuesday and enjoy your midweek blues, it's fall cold outside finally and I can't help but think of home a bit with the low-hanging sun, breath hanging in the air, and coats and pants every day. But it's here, and I'm sure it's where you are too.

Until next time,

Ciao.